Naruto: The Rise of ShadowFace
by AniMax
Summary: After defeating Zabuza, Naruto and the Gang are ready for their next mission back home, but they hit a snag along the way. A new enemy emerges, and looks to have no face of his own, so he steals other peoples Identities.
1. Chapter 1

**Episode 1: Taken Hostage: Naruto goes missing**

"I'm so hungry", whines Naruto, holding his stomach,"when are we going to get some food!"

They had all been walking for hours now, and they hadn't stopped for a break since they left

the village. Now that Zabuza was taken care of, the Bridge being completed, and the Land of

Waves, being repaired back to normal, they were now on their way back to their own village, to

train and hopefully get another assignment from the Hokage.

"Quit your whining, Naruto", Sasuke mutters,"we all haven't eaten for a long time, so your not

the only one hungry right now!"

"Hey, you can't blame me for being so hungry," brags Naruto, getting in Sasuke's face,"I'm

starving, cause I did so much work defeating Zabuza and saving the Village from the Shinobi

Gang.

"You're crazy, Naruto!" Sasuke yells back,"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been able to

stay alive, back there. I was the one who battled Haku, and risked my life. You only got in the

way, by not thinking about your actions. You almost got us all killed, I had to bail you out,

constantly!"

"Now that you guys mention it," moans Sakura, holding her stomach, as it growls in pain,"I'm

starting to get really hungry, as well."

"I can't stand it, yells Naruto, as he stops walking,"I gotta eat right now! Kakashi, isn't there any

close by Village, that we can stop at and get some food?"

"We should be getting close to our village pretty soon", Kakashi announces, breaking up the

Feuding Argument.

"Really?" Naruto yells out.

"It should just be over that bridge, up ahead", stated Kakashi , keeping a watchful eye on his

surroundings.

"Oh Boy!" Naruto sang, as he jumped through the air,"I'm gonna get me some food!"

Naruto, only thinking of food at the moment, ran full speed at the bridge, his tongue hanging

out, the whole way.

"Naruto, wait a minute," Kakashi warns,"I don't think it's safe to cross." It was too late to stop

him. Naruto ran so fast, he got to the bridge in record time. He did, however, stop for a brief

moment to examine the sturdiness of the Bridge.

"Naruto, get back here!" calls Kakashi,"it isn't safe!"

"What are you talking about, Kakashi?" laughs Naruto,"you're imagining things. Come on, you

guys, I wanna get me a huge bowl of Ramen!"

"Naruto, will you stop being such a jerk, and listen to what Kakashi Sensei is telling you," yells

Sakura,"I don't think it's safe to be running ahead either."

"Oh, come on," Naruto teases,"you three are a bunch of worriers. There's nothing to be afraid

of."

Just then, three dark figures appeared, high in the tree tops, jumping from branch to branch,

moving closer to Naruto's position. Then, the three figures jumped out from their trees, and

pounced, right over top of Naruto.

"Naruto, watch it!" Kakashi calls out, but he was too late, again.

"HAAAAAAA!", came a yell from above.

"What the---"screams Naruto, but he had no time to run. He was pinned down to the ground

by one of the three figures.

"Naruto!" Yells Sakura.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura looked on helplessly, as Naruto got ambushed by two more

attackers, seemingly appearing out of thin air. They were forced to watch as the unknown

attackers, pulled Naruto to his feet, and in the blink of an eye...Disappeared!

_Hey, it's me Naruto and I'm not too happy that I was just kidnapped by a bunch of thugs. Looks_

_like I need to find a way out of this, but how? My friends are looking for me, but can they make it to me on time? I hope their not too late_! **Next Time: The Great Naruto Rescue**


	2. Chapter 2

**Episode 2: The Great Naruto Rescue**

The three could do nothing as they watch Naruto, get snatched up, and carried off into the

woods, by the three unknown people.

"What just happened here?" Sakura asked,"who were those guys, and where did they just take

Naruto?"

"I don't know, but they took him off into the woods, beyond the Bridge", explains Kakashi.

"Should we follow them?" asks Sakura.

"Trust Naruto, to not think things through first," mumbles Sasuke,"always rushing into things, like

he always does, and never thinking about the consequences", mumbles Sasuke,"now we gotta

bail him out of it."

"I recognized one of those guys", thought Kakashi, "could it have been---"

"We have no time to lose...we got to go after them, right now!" orders Kakashi.

"Hmph, hmph!" Naruto tried to scream, but it was no use. The three thugs had gagged him

and now were making their way through the woods. Naruto looked up at his abductors, and tried

to identify them. The one that was carrying him off, had a large face, green hair, and had a

Deep, Red Scar, on his left cheek. The one on Naruto's left, was small, with a bandana covering

his hair, and he had an odd, shaped looking weapon, hanging on his belt. The last man in the

Group, no doubt the leader, had Red hair, Fang-looking teeth, and it apparently, looks like he has

a deformed face, as he wore a mask, on the right side of his face.

"Hmph, hmph!" Naruto screamed some more, but it was useless.

"Shut ya yap, kid!" the Green-haired goon snaps,"we ain't gonna take no lip from you...so you

better be quiet...otherwise you won't make it to the boss in one piece!"

"Hmph, hmph?" Naruto tries to question the goon, but was still unable to say anything, with the

gag in his mouth.

"I said, shut ya yap, kid!", snarls the Green goon again,"you better watch what ya say 'round

the boss...he ain't someone who takes kindly to sass mouth."

"Hmph, hmph!" screams Naruto again, still unable to make any sense.

"We're here!" shouts the Red-Haired Leader. Naruto looks up, and spots a huge temple sitting

atop a giant hill. The group took one look around, and then sprung up, and over the Main gates.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph!" Naruto shouts in vain, one last time.

Meanwhile, back with the others, Kakashi and the rest of the gang, had kept on the same path

as they were heading before, and soon came to a large clearing. Just past the woods, they could

see, up ahead, a large temple. It was obvious to everyone, that that had to be where Naruto

had been taken, by those mystery attackers, in the forest.

"We got no time to lose, we have to get Naruto back!" Kakashi orders.

"What's wrong, Kakashi Sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi seemed a little on edge about something.

"If I'm not mistaken...one of those attackers, was none other than...Sugoi Ryoku!" Kakashi

explained.

"Sugoi Ryoku?" Sakura asked,"do you know who that is Kakashi Sensei?"

"About 10 years ago, at Konoha, the Village hidden in the Leaves, he arrived as a new student,

that had just transferred from a different Village. He was a lonely kid, and never made any

friends. He mostly kept to himself and ignored any of the other kids in the class. One night, he

left his house, and the Village. In the morning, there was news, that a brutal slaughter had

taken place, and hundreds of villages died, a few towns over. This happened, night after

night, and nobody was safe. People hid in their homes, never appearing outside, afraid of

what evil lay waiting for them. Then, one night, Konoha decided to set up Watch guards,

inside and outside the Village. Again, Ryoku snuck out of his house, and again, looked to leave

the Village, but he didn't know about the Watch guards that had been assigned for duty. The

guards caught him and got him to confess, that he was the one that had killed all the

Neighboring Villagers. He was banished from the village, and had to fend for himself. After

that, nobody ever heard from him again.

"So your saying that little kid, is the same as the attacker, who kidnapped Naruto?" Sakura

Asked.

"It looks that way," Kakashi confirmed,"so we have no time to waste, we need to get Naruto

back!"

"Naruto is such a loser, always getting into trouble, and then having us having to save his butt,"

snarls Sasuke.

"Whatever the case, we can't just stand around blaming Naruto, Kakashi explained,"that guy is

dangerous, and won't waste a second to kill Naruto, if given the chance."

"Then, why didn't they kill Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"My guess is, is that they have a bigger Leader inside their Village, and are using Naruto as Bait,

to lure us in there," stated Kakashi.

"Be on your Guard everyone, don't let yourself be distracted, ordered Kakashi,"we're here for

only one purpose...to Naruto out, and that's all. Nobody try and be a hero and get into any

unnecessary fights".

"Ok guys, let's go!" Kakashi ordered. Everyone took one last look at the large doors that lead

into the Village, and then they all, crouched, and jumped high over the walls. It was time to save

their friend, Naruto.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Boss**

"Naruto, can really get in the way," Sakura complains, "he never thinks about what he's doing,

until it's too late."

"That may be so," Kakashi, calmly responds, "but, nevertheless, we have to stay focused on what

we came here for, to get Naruto out. I don't see any guards around, which is kind of strange."

"Do you think it's a trap?" asks Sakura,"or do you think this place is Abandoned?"

"I don't think those three attackers would take Naruto to some Abandoned Village," Kakashi

explains, "my guess is that they took him to their boss, and will come back for us, once they drop

him off."

"Which means that we have to hurry," Sasuke cuts in, "otherwise, Naruto could get in serious

trouble, with his big mouth and obnoxious attitude."

The three crouch down behind a tree, that's overhangs the ledge on the top of the wall, and

peer through the branches, and look to see if anyone is around.

"I suggest that we split up," Sasuke whispers, "that way, we can cover more ground, and we

can find Naruto, faster.

"Split up?" Sakura gasps, "you think we stand a chance, if we go separate ways?"

"Yes, confirms Sasuke,"this way someone can find Naruto, and the other two can be the

look-outs."

"It may not be the best plan," confesses Kakashi,"but I think your right. We can find Naruto

faster, by taking different routes through the Village. If you come into contact with anyone,

don't try and fight, call for help. You can do that either by yelling, or by concentrating a lot of

your Chakra, and one of us should be able to pick up on it.

"Right," agrees Sakura.

"Alright, then," Kakashi announces," let's go, and get Naruto out quickly."

The three stand up, and almost as soon as they were on their feet, they all shoot off, into

different directions. Sakura goes left, Sasuke goes right, and Kakashi goes straight ahead, which

lands him on top the roof of a building.

"It's time to see the Boss", the Green Guy announces, "he's got somethin' special in store for

you."

"Hmph?" Naruto muffles. They open up the Temple doors, and step inside. Once they were

inside, Naruto noticed, that the place was large, but bare. There were a lot of hallways, and in

the back of the room, he noticed, there was a large shrine, and a person sitting in a chair.

"Hey, Boss", Mr. Green chimes, "we brought ya the kid." The big thug tosses Naruto forward,

landing him just a few feet from the Shrine steps. Naruto gazed up, and tried to get a look

at the "Boss's" face. He just now noticed that almost all the Shrine, was covered in darkness and

shadows. The face of the "Boss", was also covered in shadows, the same ones that covered

the Shrine. He then motioned his hand towards the door, signaling the three to leave.

"Right, Boss!" the Leader sneers, "see ya round kid, He-he-he!"

"Hmph, hmph, hmph" Naruto shouted, from behind the gag, trying to stay focused and awake.

He glanced back at the three thugs, as they walked out of the Temple, and shut the doors

behind them. Naruto looked back up at the "Boss", and got nervous when he finally stood up.

He stood still for almost forever, as Naruto looked up in fright and confusion. Finally, the "Boss"

began walking towards Naruto. He moved slowly, and it almost looked like he was floating on air

as he walked. As the "Boss" moved towards Naruto, he suddenly noticed something strange

about him...he had no face! His face was nothing more then a round, black head. It was like his

face had always been hidden in the shadows. Naruto stared up at "Shadow" as he moved and

stopped, just inches from Naruto. He stared down at him, as Naruto looked at the face that was

nothing.

"Hmph, Hmph!" Naruto shouted. He looked up at the face for a long time, almost in a

trance, and then, suddenly, while staring up at "Shadows" black face, he noticed a faint light,

coming from where his right eye should be. The light took the form of a line, which was only

about 3 inches long, and even though the light was barely noticeable, it was very bright. Naruto

found it hard to look away, as the light made him very light headed, and the light kept his eyes

trained on "Shadow". Then, Naruto started feeling dizzy, and it almost felt like the ground was

shaking. Naruto started getting a head rush, and the room started to spin. He was finding it hard

to stay conscious.

"Hmph, hmph!" Naruto screamed, still gagged. Then, the light started getting brighter, and more

intense. Naruto was almost out of it. Suddenly, while still staring into the light, the eye opened,

in a quick flash. Naruto couldn't look away, as the Bright, powerful light, blinded him. He

continued to look at "Shadow", and it was like he was locked in place. He couldn't move his body

at all now, not just his face. Naruto couldn't move, and it felt like his soul was being ripped,

right out of his body. The light got Bigger and Brighter, and then...

"HMPH, HMPH, HMPH!" Naruto screamed at full steam, before the whole room got covered in

the powerful light, and then... Naruto passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Will the Real Naruto Uzamaki, Please Stand up?**

Sasuke begins his search in a few houses, but they all wind up being empty. He then notices the

shrine, and decides to check that out next. Just then, he hears a bang and quickly plants his

body against the building. He slowly moves along the wall, and stops at the edge. Sasuke takes a

deep breath, performs his Jutsu and goes head first around the corner.

"Fire Ball Jutsu!" yells Sasuke, holding his hand up to his mouth. At the last second, he notices

who he is about to attack...Sakura.

"Huh...!" Sakura gasps, eyes wide open.

"Agh!" Sasuke yells, as he aims his hands, over to the left. His attack flies off, and misses Sakura

by inches.

"Woah!" Sakura gasps, again,"that was too close."

"Geez, you could have been killed," Sasuke apologizes,"be more careful next time, to what you're

doing. I could have hurt you, if I wasn't quick to react."

"Ya, sorry," Sakura sighed, scratching her head,"I tripped over this stool."

"Well, it's a good thing i wasn't someone else," Sasuke remarks,"otherwise, you wouldn't be

standing here right now."

'Ya, i know," Sakura sighed again, looking around,"so where do we look next?"

"That shrine!" Sasuke tells Sakura,"I have a hunch, that that's where those guys are keeping

Naruto."

"Ok, let's go!" Sakura states, now confident and alert. The two of them continue sneaking

about, hiding in the shadows of the trees and buildings. They approach the outside of the Shrine

and hide behind a bush. They sit still, as Sasuke observes the surrounding area, once more.

"Ok, on my mark we go for that window!" Sasuke orders Sakura, pointing to the window, just

above the door.

"Ok!" Sakura agrees, placing her body in a position, ready to jump.

"Ok...Go!" Sasuke yells, as he leaps off the ground.

"Wait!" an unknown voice, calls out. Sasuke drops to the ground quickly, and raises his hand to

his face, ready for another Fireball Jutsu. Sasuke looks behind him, and faces his enemy...Kakashi.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura applauds,"where did you come from?"

'Over there," Kakashi tells, pointing over at a small hut house,"it was abandoned, just like all the

rest of these buildings."

"We found that out, too," Sasuke told Kakashi, finally relaxing his body,"we found nobody in any

of the houses."

"It's like this Village was forced to leave, for some reason," Sakura stated,"but why?"

"My guess, is it has something to do with those guys that kidnapped Naruto," Sasuke guessed.

"We all made our way to this Shrine," Kakashi broke in,"so, this can be the only place he's being

kept."

"So, then let's go!" Sakura urged the rest, about to stand up.

"Not so fast, Sakura," Kakashi mumbled, breaking Sakura short,"we don't know if there's

an ambush on the other side, of this door. We have to be extra careful!"

"He's right!" Sasuke agreed, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder, and gently pushed her to the

ground again,"we can't go in there, expecting to grab Naruto and run. They won't make it that

easy for us."

"So, then," Sakura started, obviously hurt, for being shot down,"how do we get in there?"

"We take separate routes again, like before," Kakashi explained,"we need to be careful, though."

"So, where do we get in from?" Sakura asked.

"I'll stay here at the door, and wait for you and Sasuke to reach the windows up there," Kakashi

went on, pointing to the window behind Sasuke and the one behind Sakura.

"OK, then let's do this fast," Sasuke muttered, looking around, suspiousously, "we need to work

as quickly as possible."

"Ok, but don't do anything too stupid, or rash," Kakashi warned, "nobody is a hero here. We just

need to get in and out as fast as possible, cause..."

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, looking at his face, trying to figure him out, "is

there something wrong?"

"No...it's nothing," Kakashi shrugged it off, with a smile, "let's get moving."

The three stood up and then crouched, ready to jump into the action.

"Ok, let's get Naruto out, fast!" Kakashi whispered, "Go!"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi, all leapt high up onto their window sills, and hugged the wall. then,

they carefully crept around and went inside.

"Ugh...errrrr...," groaned Naruto, squinting his eyes, in order to adjust to the dark room, in which

he lied. Naruto was gagged and chained against the wall of, what looked to be, a torture

chamber of some sorts. Naruto, now being able to open his eyes wider, looking around at where

he was. The standard torture chamber equipment, was all accounted for. A torture rack, for

pulling people apart, by their arms and legs, a whole wall of chains and shackles, one group of

which, held Naruto prisoner. What scared Naruto the most, was a whole pile of dead, rotting

corpses, that consisted of Warriors and Villagers, who must have been taken down here, as well,

and died, waiting to be rescued, by someone.

"Hmphhh!" Naruto muffled through his gag. He now just remembered the last thing that

happened to him. He was walking with his friends, and got captured by 3 thugs. Then, he was

brought to some strange Temple, where he met some guy with a face that was hidden in the

shadows.

He struggled to get out of his shackles, but he wasn't strong enough right now. He was too

weak, from whatever that "Shadow" creep did to him. He couldn't break free, and he couldn't

call for help. He was trapped, until his friends could find him.

Sakura was busy, doing the amateur thing of, peeking in every room there was around, and

taking a look inside. Sasuke, did his searching by making quick, lighting quick dashes, and hiding

behind the pillars, that lined the hallway. Kakashi on the other hand, being the most experienced

one of the bunch, was more careful then the other 2. He was in the shadows, and used objects

for both, protection and concealment. He searched around the big open area, in which Naruto

was first brought, then worked his way around the hallway, off to the right. Sakura found one

door to be locked and couldn't make it budge. So, she decided that this would be a good place

to assume, that Naruto was being kept. She conjured a small lightning Jutsu, and created a spark,

in order to destroy the hinges off the door. She blew them off, in a matter of seconds, without

much noise, and slowly opened the door.

Sakura slowly pushed her head through the small opening the door gave. There was something

blocking the door, and prevented her from going any farther. She pushed harder, and soon the

door began to move. She pushed it, eyes closed, and teeth clenched, and finally got the door all

the way open.

"Huh!" Sakura gasped, staring at the image in front of her. Sakura was horrified by the sight, that

was in the room. Bodies, lots and lots of bodies, lay dead and mangled throughout the room.

Men, Women, and even kids. Sakura's legs felt weak, she was unable to move from her spot. She

was too terrified, by what she saw. After a short time, being petrified by what she had just

witnessed, she made her way through the room. She made sure not to touch any of the bodies,

as she inched her way through the room. She could see people with arms and legs, ripped right

off their limps. Some people even had their heads, cut clean off. When Sakura saw one, she took

a moment to puke in a corner. She made her way through the dark room, and finally got to the

end, where there was a window. Just, before she got to the window, she noticed what one of

the bodies were. A baby. A baby, what was probably no more then a year old, at most.

"How cruel!" Sakura cried, holding her hands to her face, and sobbed for a bit. She couldn't stand

the sight of what she saw. She then realized, that this was just ONE room. She cringed and

shivered, at the thought at what the other rooms, in the Temple would show.

Sakura got to the window, still sobbing, and peered over the ledge.

It was Naruto, but he wasn't chained up or held prisoner. He was fine, and walking through the

hallways, like nothing had happened. She noticed that he had a smile on his face, but it wasn't

his normal, goofy smile, that everyone knew about. His smile, gave the impression that he had

just done something bad. Or Evil. Sakura knew that this couldn't be Naruto. It had to be a fake.

She decided that she had to get back to Kakashi and Sasuke to tell them what she just saw.

She turned around and made her way for the door. She turned around and got surprised by a

figure, standing in the doorway. She couldn't see who it was, but she knew it wasn't any of her

friends.

"Hello, cutey!" the dark figure laughed. He reached down and pulled out, what looked to be a

blade on a chain. She could only make out the highlights, from the little bit of light, in the room.

"Who are you!" Sakura asked, as her sobbing stopped. She took out a Kunai Knife and held it in

front of her face.

"Don't make me laugh!" the figure, laughed again. He held up his blade chain, where it shinned in

the sunlight, from a window, close to where he stood. He then began spinning it over his head.

It spun, super fast, and make a weird, whining noise, that hurt Sakura's ears.

"Aghh!" Sakura whined, dropping her Knife.

The figure, spun his weapon a little more, and then let it fly. It moved so fast, Sakura had no

idea, to react. _S H I C K !_

Sasuke and Kakashi made their way back to the main hall and met up with each other.

"Did you find anything?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I didn't!" Kakashi explained, "it seems like nobody is here."

"I know, it's like they all left for some reason, but why?"

"I don't know," Kakashi wondered, "but I couldn't find Naruto anywhere."

"Me neither!" Sasuke agreed, "where could he be?"

"How bout right here!" a voice called out.

The two turned sharply, ready to attack, whoever just spoke. They turned around to

see...Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called, "where did you come from?"

"From the Dungeon!" Naruto explained, smiling like he always does, "those bullies, couldn't hold

me down!"

"Well, however you got away, that's all we need to know," Sasuke sighed, "now all we need to

do is wait for Sakura."

"No, we don't!" Naruto frowned. Kakashi gave a suspicious glare towards Naruto.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, giving Naruto a bad look.

"I saw Sakura and told her I was fine," Naruto explained some more, "and told her to go back to

the Leaf village and tell the Hokage what we found. She's fine!"

"Hmmm...," Kakashi wondered, "then let's get out of here."

"Right!" Sasuke agreed. The three of them walked to the big, main door, and got out of the

Temple.

"So, Naruto!" Sasuke asked, "exactly how did you manage to get away from those guys?"

"Oh, you know," Naruto gloated, resting his arms, behind his head, "just showed all those guy,

who they were messing with. I made them regret taking on the greatest Ninja in the world!"

Sasuke and Kakashi, ahead of Naruto, whispered to each other.

"I don't think that's Naruto!" Sasuke whispered, low enough that Naruto, couldn't hear.

"You're right!" Kakashi whispers back, "but I don't sense anything wrong with him. The only

thing that concerns me, is with the fake story of where, Sakura is."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed, looking at the ground, "so what should we do?"

Kakashi looked at Sasuke, and then smiled.

"Attack him!" Kakashi replied. For a second, Sasuke thought Kakashi wanted to kill Naruto, but

then he realized, that if that was the Real Naruto, he wouldn't be able to withstand both of

them. Sasuke reached into his pouch, and pulled out a handful of Ninja stars.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled back at the happy Ninja, "CATCH!"

Sasuke wound up, and tossed his whole hand of stars at Naruto. The stars moved so fast, only a

super fast person could dodge them.

Ding Ding Ding Ding

All the stars hit their mark, but didn't touch Naruto. All the stars were caught by him, between

two fingers, each. Naruto, smiled and then spoke.

"What's the big idea, guys!" he growled.

"We know you're not really Naruto!" Sasuke snapped, "so cut the act!"

"Oh," Naruto sneered, "then who exactly is the real Naruto?"

"That would be me!" a voice breaks out. Everyone looks up at the Temple roof. There stood

Naruto, surprisingly, angry.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, looking up at the roof.

"How dare you try and steal my Identity, and us it to deceive my friends!" Naruto on the roof,

growled, "you're gonna pay!"

Naruto jumped high into the air and pulled out a Kunai Knife.

"Sasuke, Kakashi...let's get this guy!" Naruto screams, as he falls to earth. The other two agree

and attack the imposter Naruto.

"So, I"m found out already, huh?" Fake Naruto smirks, "oh, well!"

He bends over and darts for the Real Naruto. Naruto, too slow to respond, got wrapped up in

the imposters arms. Then, he started to spin, with the Real Naruto in tow. After a few seconds

of spinning, he stopped, and the two Naruto's, flew apart.

"What?" Sasuke gasped, stopping his attack, "which is the real, Naruto?"

"I don't know," Kakashi states, "he's too simliar looking from the real one. Usually, imposters mess

up with something, but he looks and sounds perfect."

"Dirty trick!" Sasuke shouts at the two Naruto's.

"Oh, come on!" one Naruto shouts, "this is too easy. You know I'm the real Naruto. How much

proof do you need!"

What are you talking about?" the other one yells, "I'm the real deal here, Believe it!"

"Damn!" Sasuke groans, "which is the real one?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Sharingan and the Black Smoke**

Kakashi and Sasuke looked on, as the two Naruto's stared them down, and made their pleas to

convince that they were the real deal.

"Come on!" Naruto #1 yelled, making fists, and holding them up in front of him, "you're telling me

that you can't tell the difference, between me, and a fake!"

"If that one is the real Naruto," Sasuke sighed, "he gets my vote. Annoying as ever, wins me

over!"

"You guys are totally blind!" Naruto #2 joined in, "don't let that imposter fool you! I'm the real

Naruto, and you know it!"

The two Naruto's continued their debates, while Kakashi and Sasuke watched.

"Maybe this would be a good time to use the Sharingan!" Kakashi suggested. He stared down

both Naruto's and locked his vision on them. Kakashi then raised his arm, and grabbed hold of his

headband.

"Ok, you two! Kakashi announced, "show me who the real Naruto is...Sharingan!"

Kakashi yanked the band up, and exposed his red, Sharingan eye. The eye, locked on to the two

Naruto's, then it started to spin, faster and faster, then stopped. Both Naruto's stopped their

bickering, and looked over at Kakashi. The eye locked on to them, and Kakashi waited patiently,

as his eye scanned them both. Then, suddenly, one of the Naruto's gave off a smirk.

"Huh!" Sasuke gasped, catching the smiling Naruto. The Naruto who was smiling, lost his

interest, in trying to argue with the other one, and now had his sights, locked on Kakashi.

"There it is!" The smiling Naruto sneered, "I will now possess the Sharingan Eye!"

The smiling Naruto lost his smile, and then began running towards Kakashi.

"Sensei, look out!" Sasuke warned, trying to cut off the attacking Naruto imposter. Sasuke

jumped up into the air, and put his hands together, "Ninja Art! FireBall Jutsu!"

"Not so fast!" the imposter laughed. He raised his right arm, and targeted Sasuke, "Shadow Art!

Black Smoke Jutsu!"

Black smoke then shot out of his arm and quickly engulfed Sasuke, in mid-air. The smoke not only

surrounded Sasuke, but actually grabbed onto him, and held him up in the air.

"Sasuke!" the real Naruto yelled. He then tried to attack the imposter from behind, but got

swamped by the smoke as well.

"Hahaha!" the imposter laughed, holding Sasuke and Naruto at bay, with both his arms, "So,

Kakashi! How do you like my Paralysis Jutsu! Now you can't move at all!"

_Damn! He caught me off guard! How could I have not seen this coming!_

Sasuke and Naruto struggled to get free from the smoke, but they couldn't move a muscle.

"Now that Sharingan Eye, will be mine!"

The imposter opened his mouth and more black smoke billowed out, and now wrapped itself

around Kakashil. The smoke slowly worked it's way up his body, and then stopped, just under his

chin.

"Now I will transfer myself into you, and then I will take over your body! You will then be me, and

I will become you! So then, I will be in control of the eye!"

The black smoke, continued it's ascent up kakashi, and actually started making it's way INTO

Kakashi's Sharingan eye. The smoke then totally covered Kakashi's face and cut off his air. The

smoke continued it's attack on Kakashi's eye.

"Yes, YES!" the imposter laughed, "It's mine!" His voice had changed, and now sounded like a

raspy, hiss. He no longer used Naruto's voice as his own.

"Not so fast!" came a female voice from behind. Out of the bushes, came Sakura, hands full of

Kunai, "let my friends go!"

Sakura hucked two whole handfuls of Kunai at him, and they hit their mark.

"Arghhh!" the imposter cried out. The smoke holds on Sasuke and Naruto, faded, and

disappeared. Sasuke dropped to the ground. Kakashi was still being controlled. Without

hesitation, Sasuke regained his composure, and joined in on the attack with Sakura. Naruto too,

got up and grabbed a handful on stars from his pouch.

_My...my eye...my body...what's going...on...,_" Kakashi stammered in his head.

"You little brats!" the imposter hissed, flashing an evil smirk, "you don't know who you are dealing

with!"

Then, his body began to rumble and blow up, like a balloon. After a few seconds, the Naruto

body gave way, and showed off, underneath, and dark, thin body underneath. The head of

Naruto remained in tact.

"Whoa!" Naruto yelled, stopping in his tracks, "What the hell is this freak!"

"I have no idea!" Sasuke answered, just as confused as Naruto.

"I am ShadowFace!" the shadowman explained, "I seek the Sharingan, and no one will stop me!"

ShadowFace brought his his dark arms together, and smirked.

"Shadow Art! Black Chaos Jutsu!"

The smoke returned, out of his arms, but as they charged at the three Genin's, they grew solid.

The black totems, bashed the ground, as the three barely dodged out of the way. All the while,

ShadowFace never took his concentration off Kakashi. Kakashi now, had now fallen to his knees.

_I can't just let him take Kakashi-Sensei like this! _Naruto thought angrily. Naruto got up and ran at

ShadowFace.

"Naruto stop!" Sasuke yelled, at the foolish Ninja, but was too late. Naruto ran in behind the dark

ninja and prepared for his Clone Jutsu.

"You like to copy me so much!" Naruto taunted, "then how bout I show you the real thing!

Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

_**Boom**_

From the smoke, can twenty Naruto clones. They all surrounded Shadowface.

"Alright!" all the Naruto Clone's cheered, "this will teach you to not steal my look. I'm the one

and only Naruto. You're nobody!"

All the clones pulled out Kunai Knives, jumped right up into the air, and dove right down at

Shadowface.

"Hahah!" Shadowface laughed, "foolish ninja!"

He raised his arm, once more and blasted a load of the Clones, right out of the air, with his black

smoke.

**Poof...Poof...Poof**

"Arghh!" groaned Naruto, as he fell to the ground. Shadowface was able to pick off the real

Naruto, within the crowd.

"Looks like you don't have what it takes to take me on!"

Kakashi had now fallen to his knees, and was now fading in and out of consciousness.

"Can't...breath...," Kakashi gasped,"...can't...I...need to stay...awake..."

Kakashi collapsed to the ground and was out. Naruto was down, Sakura and Sasuke were now

being held by the smoke of Shaowface's arms, and nobody else was around.

"Looks like the Sharingan is mine!" he bellowed, still using Naruto's head, as his own, "Kakashi!

You have no idea of the full Potential of the eye. It doesn't belong with you. I'm the only one

who knows how to use it! So, once my smoke has totally taken over your body, I will be in

control of your body, and you'll take my place, as the cursed Ninja of the Shadows! HAHAHA!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Reawakened! The Banished Village of Shadows!**

Kakashi lay, unconscious on the ground, while Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, were being held

prisoner by ShadowFace's arms of smoke.

_Who is this guy? _wondered Kakashi, _What is he doing to my body?_

"Let us go you copycat freak!" Naruto screamed, trying, desperately to yank free of

ShadowFace's arms.

"Fine! I'll let you go!" ShadowFace agreed, with a smirk. He then wiped his arm, and slammed

Naruto to the ground. Naruto hit the ground, face first.

"Gahhh!" Naruto yelled out, spitting up blood.

"Oops, sorry! Hehehe!" ShadowFace laughed, "did that hurt? I thought you wanted to be let

down?"

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled, trying to get up.

"Here! Let me help you up!" ShadowFace offered, with a laugh. He then grabbed Naruto around

the waist, and picked him up off the ground. He then threw him up against a tree.

"Gah!" Naruto yelled out.

"Time to finish this off!" ShadowFace said, with a scowl, "I want that Sharingan Eye!"

"Sorry, but not today!" came Kakashi's weak voice. ShadowFace looked over, and saw that

Kakashi had gotten up from his unconscious sleep.

"Grrr!" the shadow ninja growled, "looks like you still have some fight left in you!"

"You...got that right!" Kakashi snapped, holding his face, "try this! Ninja Art! Invisible Jutsu!"

Then Kakashi was gone.

"What?!" ShadowFace gasped, looking around, "where did he go?"

Then, Naruto vanished from Shadow's arm. Then Sakura, and finally Sasuke.

"Damn it!" ShadowFace yelled out. He then went nuts, and started bashing everything around

him.

SMASH! CRACK!

Trees fell, and the wall of the village, behind him, came crumbling down.

"Where are you, Kakashi?" ShadowFace yelled out, "come out and face me!"

ShadowFace was left alone on the road, yelling at air.

"Ugh...ugh...," Naruto moaned, as he opened his eyes and looked around.

"So, you're finally awake!" Kakashi's voice, faintly spoke.

"Kakashi...Sensei?" Naruto struggled to get out, as he tried to sit up.

"Hey, now!" Kakashi ordered, holding up a hand to Naruto, "don't try and move that much. You

took quite a beating from that fight!"

"Ugh...," Naruto groaned, then fell back into bed, "where are Sasuke and Sakura?"

"They're fine!" Kakashi assured Naruto, "now get some rest!"

"But...Sensei...," Naruto yawned, as he fell asleep again.

Later on, when the group was awake, Kakashi sat them down, and told them what he knew

about the three Ninja's that kidnapped Naruto and who the Shadow Ninja, was.

"First off, the one that kidnapped you Naruto!" Kakashi began, "he is Konoka! The other is,

Sensa, and their leader, who I know very well, is Renaku!"

"So, who exactly are they?" Sakura asked.

"They are a group of Ninja's, that were part of the Village hidden in the Shadows!" Kakashi told

the kids, pacing up and down the room, "they were a very hostile Village, that eventually led

them to be banished, by any other Village around! If they needed help, or resources, we would

ignore them!"

"So, why are they coming after us?" Naruto asked, "and especially you, Kakashi-Sensei!"

"I imagine that's it's because I possess the Sharingan Eye!" Kakashi thought for a second, "a lot of

Ninja, over the years, have been fascinated with the power of the Sharingan eye!"

"So, what do we do now?" Sakura asked.

"What do we do now?" Kakashi mimicked Sakura.

"Yes! What do we do now that they're after us?" Sakura asked again.

"Hmmmm...ah, yes!" Kakashi thought for a moment.

The group leaned in, close.

"What we're going to do is...," Kakashi continued.

The group listened carefully.

"We...let them attack!" Kakashi finished, with a smile.

"Ugh?!..."

The group fell over in shock.

"What do you mean we let them attack the Village?!" Naruto yelled, jumping up and down in the

air, "why would we let them attack us?! That's got to be the _stupidest_ plan in the world!"

"Really?" Kakashi replied, shocked by Naruto's over reaction, "and attacking them head-on,

without knowing who they are, or what they might plan for us, is smarter?"

"Uhhh...well...," Naruto squeaked, and then blushed.

"What a doofus!" Sakura insulted, crossing her arms, "sometimes the best strategy is to let the

enemy make the first move! Geez, Naruto! You should even know that! It was one of the first

things that they taught us in Ninja School!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto shot back, but blushed some more.

"So, how exactly will we know, when they attack?" Sasuke asked, picking up an apple from the

bowl on the counter and taking a bite out of it.

"We wait!" Kakashi said, without any suspense, "we can only wait and see."

The group sighed.

Later on, the group decided to see what the Village was up to. They began walking around the

roads, seeing familiar faces.

Kakashi, however, had his own activities planned. He decided on having a talk with the Hokage.

Kakashi walked through the hallways of the school, and into the Hokage's office.

"Pardon me! But I thought I might have a word with you?" Kakashi smiled, as he pushed open

the door.

"Ah, Kakashi!" the Hokage smiled back, placing his pen down on the desk, "I trust that the

mission you were sent on, was a success?"

"Ah, yes! It was!" Kakashi told him, his smile fading slightly, "there's a matter that I need to

discuss with you!"

"And what might that be?" the Hokage asked, suspiciously, grabbing his pipe and sticking it in his

mouth.

"I would like to as you to postpone the Chunin Exam for a while!" Kakashi asked, flatly.

"Hmmm?" the Hokage hummed, looking confused, "why should I postpone them?"

"There is a matter that we must attend to, before we can proceed with the Tournament!"

"I see...," the Hokage sighed, puffing his pipe, "then I will assume that you and your team will

handle this?"

Kakashi stood silent for a minute.

"Is this a personal matter?" the Hokage asked, sensing something uneasy in Kakashi's eyes.

"No...but I think it would be best if my team, didn't participate in this assignment!" Kakashi said,

flatly, looking down at the floor.

"Very well!" the Hokage agreed, taking the pipe out of his mouth, and standing up, behind his

desk, "but I suggest that you try and take care of this problem, as discretely as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" Kakashi agreed, bowing, and leaving, through the open door.

The Hokage stood behind his desk, puffing his pipe, and thought to himself.

_What could be so bad, that would make Kakashi, worry this much? _the Hokage pondered.

"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei?!" Naruto burst out, as he saw his master, emerge from the building.

"Hi, Naruto," Kakashi smiled, walking up to the group.

"We decided to follow you!" Naruto burst out, "we were worried about ya!"

"So, what did you have to see the Hokage about, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura asked, standing up

from her lean, against a stone wall.

"Oh, nothing important!" Kakashi, shyly to her, "just had to give him the heads-up that we had

completed our mission, that's all!"

"Baloney!" Naruto exploded so sudden, it scared the whole group, "If you only had to tell him

that...we could have come along too, and told him ourselves!"

Kakashi looked at Naruto with awe. Then, he smiled, and placed his hand on the head.

"You certainly are something else, Naruto!" Kakashi, sighed a chuckle, "let's get going!"

The group walked around the town, as Kakashi thought to himself.

"So, what are we doing now, Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto asked, a little calmer now.

"Well, I thought I would treat you guys to celebrate our successful mission," Kakashi told them,

scratching his head, "and then I have some things to take care of on my own!"

"Can't we come along?" Naruto asked, looking all hyper in the face.

"Heh...nope, sorry," Kakashi laughed, patting Naruto on the head again, "this is something that I

need to take care of, on my own! Thanks, anyways!"

For the next hour, the group sat down and ate some Ramen, and then they parted ways. with

Kakashi.

"We'll meet up in a few days," Kakashi told them, as he turned to walk away.

The group watched Kakashi leave, and turn a corner. Sakura looked worried, but content. Sasuke

looked like he always did; expressionless. Only Naruto was the odd one out, with the face of a

person, determined to butt in, even if it had nothing to do with him.

"Well, I gotta go guys! See ya!" Naruto yelled, suddenly running away from the two.

"Um...bye Naruto?" Sakura yelled after him, suddenly aware of her surroundings again.

Sasuke suddenly walked away, in the opposite direction.

"See ya," Sasuke coldly said, waving a backwards hand at her, as he walked away.

"Oh...wait Sasuke!" Sakura, called after him.

As Sakura ran after Sasuke, Naruto decided to follow Kakashi, and see where he was going.

Naruto made sure to keep his distance, and not make himself noticeable. Kakashi made a right

turn, and Naruto followed. When Naruto made it around the corner, he lost sight of Kakashi.

Naruto looked around, with eagerness, but couldn't find him. It should have been easy, since the

street had very few people in it. Naruto made a few steps into the street to look around some

more.

"What are you doing?" came a voice, that caused Naruto to jump into the air. He landed on his

face, with his butt sticking out. He had done a 360 turn, while in the air, and now was facing the

direction, that he had come. There now, were a pair of feet. He looked up the body, and found

out that it was Kakashi. He was looking at Naruto with wonder.

"Kakashi-Sensei?!" Naruto boomed, jumping into the air.

"By any chance, are you following me around, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, with a slight grin, forming

under his mask.

"Gahh...um...hehe!" Naruto gasped, not sure how to answer. He shut his eyes, and blushed.

"Sorry Naruto!" Kakashi sighed, his smile, now a strange looking, "but this one, you'll have to sit

out!"

"Aww...but I want to fight somebody!" Naruto whined, punching the air, "after our last battle,

I'm all pumped up!"

"Heh...as happy I am to hear that you're ready for another battle, I...," Kakashi started.

"Aghhhhh!" came a scream. It was a girl's scream.

"That sounded like Sakura!" Naruto yelled, looking around.

"Naruto! Wait here!" Kakashi ordered, jumping up to the roof, and zooming to the next.

"Wait here?!" Naruto repeated, "you got to be kidding me!"

Naruto did the same, and followed Kakashi along the roof tops. The two sprinted, as fast as they

could. Another scream, made them move faster. When they got there, through a crowd of

people, they could see that one of the Shadow Ninja's, the one Kakashi called, Renaku, had

Sakura by the hair. Kakashi and Naruto landed, in front of the Ninja.

"Hahaha!" Renaku laughed, "Kakashi! It's been a long time!"

"Leave the girl out of this, Renaku!" Kakashi asked him, his face tight with anger.

"Oh?...Ah, yes! The girl!" Renaku, faked stupidity, of what was happening, "No! I think I'll take

her home with me! Hahahaha!"

"Renaku!" Kakashi hissed. He faked, and then went in for the attack.

"Oh, sorry! I'm not much into playing today!" Renaku told Kakashi, tightening his grip on Sakura's

hair. Sakura winced a little, "here! Play with these!"

Renaku jumped high into the air, and pulled some black, round looking balls from his pocket bag.

He through them down at Kakashi. Kakashi acted quick, and grabbed a Kunai Knife. He slashed

a few of the balls. The balls burst open, exposing a ball smoke. Kakashi choked on the smoke,

as he tried to work through the smoke. He dropped to the ground, and looked up at the sky.

As the smoke cleared, they heard Renaku yell out.

"The Village hidden in the Shadows, is back! Darkness shall engulf this world! Hahahaha!"

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled.

_Damn you, Renaku!!! _Kakashi hissed, in his mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Shadow Bandits**

Naruto watched, as the smoke clear, and saw Sakura, held over Renaku's shoulder, as he flew

down, and landed on a tree limb. Almost as soon as he touched it, he darted off, faster then

Naruto could keep up.

Naruto, upon seeing the two disappear, panicked, and turned to Kakashi, to see what he was

doing about the situation. Naruto, believing that Kakashi had already thought of a plan, and

was going to, any moment, bark an order to Naruto, saw that his Sensei, was frozen in place,

hunched over, slightly, still looking up in the sky, in the direction that Renaku made off with

Sakura. When Naruto saw this, he panicked more, and threw his fists up into the air.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" he screamed, scaring a few people, beside him, "why are you just standing

there?!...Why don't you go and get Sakura?! Didn't you just see them fly away?!!...Kakashi-

Sensei?!"

"It's no good, Naruto," Kakashi finally spoke, turning his unhidden eye to look at him, "I was

almost sure of it, before, when you had been kidnapped...now I'm certain of who it is...Renaku!"

"Who is he?" Naruto asked, trying to withhold his impatience.

"Not one...but three!" Kakashi, corrected him, "the three are Renaku, Sugoi and Hagari!"

"Who's the leader of the three?" Naruto asked, still fidgeting, "that Renaku guy?"

"No...," Kakashi said, nodding, "the one that's called, Sugoi, is the head of who were once a trio

group, known as the Shadow Bandits! They were an elite group of Ninja that all came out of the

Shadow village. When Sugoi was forced out of the village, he actually had a few friends that he

must have kept secret from everyone in the Village, and formed the group, outside, when he

was banished."

"So, then who was that guy that tried to trick you into believing, he was me?"

"That's someone new," Kakashi explained, "I don't know who he is...but I can tell that he is

much stronger, then any of the others."

"So...," Naruto began, some of the stress, going away, "what are we going to do?"

"We take some time to think of a strategy, and then we go ahead and take action," Kakashi

explained, "we can't just rush into things, without first, properly going over the circumstance,

first."

"Hmph!" Naruto grumbled, turning away. Kakashi managed a small smile under his mask, and then

it faded.

Later on, Naruto and Kakashi got some Ramen, and discussed the situation.

"So...what do we do now?" Naruto asked, grabbing the entire portion of Ramen out of his bowl,

and cramming it into his mouth. A large slurping sound, followed by a loud burp, and Naruto fell

back in his chair.

"We can only follow the clues we have so far," Kakashi explained, not touching his Ramen, "I

have a friend, who lives in the Lightning Village, who knows a lot about this Shadow Bandit

group, and can hopefully tell us some more about them."

Naruto looked at Kakashi with open eyes, and then turned away. He looked at his Ramen bowl,

and looked at the little bit of juice that still lingered on the bottom.

_Sakura got taken because of me! _Naruto thought, in his head, _I was the one, the group came to _

_rescue, and she got taken, because I was careless!_

"I can't believe that we have to just sit here, and not do anything!"

"Fighting battles, isn't always running in, head first, Naruto," Kakashi told him, "sometimes...you

have to think things through...and go slow, to win."

"I don't like that strategy!" Naruto complained, "I want to get Sakura back!...It was my fault,

that she was taken!"

"?...Why do you say that?" Kakashi asked, not sure why Naruto brought that up.

"I was kidnapped, and it was you three, that came to get me...I set you guys up for this!"

"Hehe...," Kakashi, chuckled lightly under his mask, "Naruto...you, of all people should know, that

you have been the center of attention, for a lot of battles that we've fought, but that doesn't

mean, that you're to blame, if someone gets hurt or kidnapped...everyone makes mistakes like

that, once in their life."

"Really?..." Naruto asked, looking his Sensei in the eye, "...even you?"

"Heh...even me," Kakashi, chuckled again.

Naruto finished his last bowl of Ramen, which made 25, total, then got up and left with Kakashi.

The next day, Naruto was up, bright and early, and ran to Kakashi's room, on the second floor.

"Kakashi-Sensei?!" Naruto, burst out, as he barged into his teacher's room, "...Kak...huh?"

When Naruto entered the room, he saw nobody inside. The bed was neatly made, and nothing

was out of place. Naruto looked all around, but couldn't see any sign of where his Sensei, could

be. Naruto walked into the room, a few steps, and looked around some more. He walked up to

the bed, and stared down at it. He tried to spot any blood or something that would suggest that

he had been in a fight. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. When he was about to walk away,

he spotted something unusual. The bottom center of the bed, looked darker then the rest of it.

Naruto originally, sluffed it off as nothing, but then gasped when he knew what was bugging him

about it. The dark area meant...that someone was clinging to the ceiling, and was going to

attack Naruto, once he was of guard. Naruto tensed up, but quickly calmed himself. He slowly

inched his hand to his pocket bag, in order to grab a Kunai. He had to be slow, but also quick. If

he was too slow, the person would be able to attack him, before he got off his own attack or

be able to see the slow moving hand, reaching for the bag. If he was too fast, the attacker may

be expecting it, and dodge it, no problem. Naruto inched a little more, and then when berserk.

He grabbed a handful of knives, turned, and let them go.

The Kunai's were aimed perfectly at their target, but the attacker was quicker, just like Naruto

had predicted, and he jumped away to the left. Naruto grunted in frustration, and tried to judge

the enemies next move. Naruto stood still for a moment, and then whirled around quickly. With a

quick flick of his hand, he pulled put another Kunai from his pocket, and held it up as a defensive

weapon.

_C L A N G_

The two kunai's hit, and stopped, each assailant's attack on one another.

"I see you've gotten better, Naruto," said the voice of the attacker.

"Huh?..." Naruto gasped, as he recognized the voice, "Kakashi-Sensei?!"...What were you doing,

attacking me?"

"Testing you," Kakashi explained, lowering his Kunai and slipping it back into his pocket bag, "I

was worried that if I told you not to come on this rescue, you'd freak out and convince me to

take you, or follow me like a rat. If I let you come...unqualified...you would be dead in no time...

so I had to test you, to see if you could keep up."

"It wasn't easy...," Naruto admitted, blushing a little, "you're so much stronger then me, and I

didn't think I had a chance at killing whoever was in here...I just got lucky!"

"Really?..." Kakashi mumbled under his breath, "...well...I guess I can't take you on this rescue

mission, after all."

"WHAT?!" Naruto, yelled so loud, it made the blood in Kakashi's veins, ripple.

"If it was just dumb luck, that you stopped my attack," Kakashi continued, "then, what reason

do I have to bring you along?"

Naruto's angry face, quickly became the look of a sniveling two-year-old. A glob of mucus, hung

from Naruto's nose, as he looked at Kakashi, with sad, puppy eyes.

"You...won't..._sob_...take me..._sob_...along?" Naruto cried, "I can't believe that you..._sob_...

wouldn't..._sob_...take me..._sob_...with you..."

Kakashi looked at Naruto, and studied him, and then smiled. It wasn't a smile that he would let

him come, it looked more like a smile that said,_ "I was only joking!"_

Naruto seemed to understand the smile, and was happy and angry at the same time.

"So, you were only kidding?!" Naruto burst out, first scowling and then grinning, "so I can

come?!"

"Yes...," Kakashi whispered, "...you can come."

"Ohhhh...thank you, Sensei!" Naruto exploded, jumping in the air. He ran around the room, and

then flew out the door and down the stairs. Kakashi was left in his room, still smiling. He sighed,

and followed Naruto out the door.

_I hope that this isn't a mistake_, Kakashi thought to himself, as he descended the stairs, _leaving _

_Naruto behind, may have been a better choice...but after what happened, once already, how _

_can I know, for certain, what the right thing to do is...?_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Been a while since I updated. This chapter is good and long, so enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: The Search for Sakura!**

Kakashi and Naruto, hopped along the tree tops, making good time, as they scowered the area,

in hopes of seeing Sakura or one of the Shadow creeps, that took her. For almost 4 hours,

Naruto and Kakashi, did nothing but jump through trees and run along the ground below.

Naruto's stomach, suddenly began to grumble, as he pounced from one tree to the next. As

he looked down to hold his stomach, he lost his concentration on his jumping, and slammed

right into the tree, in front of him. He hit it, face first, and fell down to the ground below.

Kakashi, sighed and jumped down to join Naruto, on the ground. Naruto sat up and rubbed his

nose, that was all red and swollen.

"Ooow...," Naruto grumbled, "I'm too hungry to go on, anymore...let's stop and eat, Kakashi-

Sensei!"

"_sigh_...if only your brain was as big as your stomach...you'd be an unstoppable, ninja machine!"

Kakashi shot, showing a slightly amused smile, under his mask.

"Well, I am hungry...and we've been going for hours!" Naruto complained, standing up, "can't

we take a break?"

"Do you still plan on rescuing Sakura?" Kakashi asked Naruto.

"Huh...well of course," Naruto snapped, "...but we can't do much if our stomachs are holding

us back!"

"...uh...well, I guess you do have a point," Kakashi agreed, "fine...10 minutes! After that, we

don't stop till we find her!"

"You got it!" Naruto cheered, giving Kakashi a salute.

The two, found a tree to sit against and pulled out some snacks to eat. Naruto, dug right in

and engulfed it. Kakashi, quietly sat and ate.

"So...Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto began, talking in between mouthfuls, "why did we leave Sasuke

behind?"

"I'd think it would be kind of obvious, by now...," Kakashi calmly remarked, eating some more.

"Uh...hmmm...urk...," Naruto thought, but couldn't think of anything, "gahh! I give up!"

"_sigh_...it's because Sasuke and Sakura's feeling would get in the way of the mission," Kakashi

said to Naruto, with a sigh, "Sakura would plea for Sasuke to help her, and Sasuke, stubborn as

he is, would use his feelings, to fight. He'd be hurting himself, and Sakura."

"Yeah, I guess...," Naruto agreed. For the rest of the time, Naruto and Kakashi said nothing as

they ate the rest of their food.

Naruto, was the first to finish, and was eager to hurry on. Kakashi took a little longer, getting

up slowly and packing up his things.

"Aghhh...let's go, Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto urged, hopping up and down, with his backpack,

bouncing on his shoulders.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi silently whispered, "nothing good comes from rushing into a

situation...especially when it's the enemies hideout, which you're walking towards. You can

rest assured that they won't hurt Sakura...they need her to get to us. Relax!"

"Yeah...I guess," Naruto agreed.

Finally, Kakashi finished his food and got up.

"Ok, let's go."

Kakashi jumped up into the trees, followed by Naruto. They continued their run through the

forest. They moved faster, which made Naruto happy.

While they were rushing to the aid if Sakura, Sakura, herself, was just waking up, from being

knocked out.

"Oh...," she groaned, trying to open her eyes, "where am I?"

"You're in a place that nobody ever gets out of," came a sad, female voice, off to Sakura's

right. Sakura, strained to see who was talking. After she was able to open her eyes, she

saw a young girl, chained to the wall, just like her.

"Who...who are you?" Sakura asked, looking up at her chains, and then back at the girl.

"My name is Kotaru Kutara," she said, "I've been captured down here for seven months!"

"Seven months?" Sakura gasped, "how do you survive down here? I thought they were only

after me, what's your purpose to those guys?"

Kotaru, didn't answer, she just looked away, embarrassed. She tried hard not to cry.

"Oh...," Sakura silently gasped, feeling terrible, "...that's horrible!"

"I'm nothing more then a play toy to them," Kotaru mumbled, "they feed me, and then they

have their way with me, and stick me back in here!"

"How old are you?" Sakura asked.

"16."

"That's horrible!" Sakura gasped, again.

"I was wandering through the forest, when they attacked me from behind," she said, with a

hung face, "I had no chance to escape."

"Where are your parents?" Sakura asked.

"I have no clue...," Kotaru admitted, "...they could be out looking for me...or they could be

dead...I don't know..."

"Were they with you when you were taken?"

"No...they were back in the village," Kotaru continued, "I was out picking some herbal plants

and other things...the next thing I know, someone, jumps down from above and drops a bag

over my head. After that, I wound up here, where I am now."

"Have you tried to escape?" Sakura asked, trying to find some hope.

"Once...," Kotaru whispered, "I found a place where the walls were weak, but I was caught."

"Did they find your escape hole?"

"No...I ran off when I heard them coming and they found me in another room," Kotaru

answered, looking around, just to make sure that nobody was listening, "I covered it up, so

that they didn't notice. I think it's still there!"

"If we get out of this," Sakura planned, "we'll find that spot in the wall, and get out of here!"

"Ha...you don't know what kind of ninja's you're dealing with here," Kotaru snapped, laughing at

Sakura, "they may shown you some mercy when they caught you...but deep down...they are

pure evil!"

"Well...," Sakura snickered, looking up at her hands, "I don't plan on being here, long enough to

find out how bad they are!"

"What are you going to do?"

"Just watch!"

Sakura, did a few hand signs, the best she could, and was able to perform a Jutsu.

"Ninja Art...Flower Expansion Jutsu!"

Sakura, performed the Jutsu, and her body began to fatten. She ballooned up and soon, the

shackles around her hands, body and legs, began to bust. Finally, after a few quick seconds,

her shackles broke, sending flower petals, all around. The shackles hit the floor. Her Jutsu

wore off and she returned to normal size. She stood up and brushed some dust off of her

clothes. She walked over to Kotaru and smiled down at her. The girl, had golden yellow hair,

down to her mid back, if she were standing. She wore a white, lacy dress, that was ripped,

dirty and smelly.

"That's amazing!" Kotaru gasped, "how'd you do that?"

"A ninja in our village has a similar Jutsu," Sakura explained, "I just adjusted it to fit my style

of fighting."

"I wish I could do that!"

"You aren't a ninja?" Sakura asked.

"I'm only a Chunin Kunoichi," she told Sakura, "but I'm no good at Ninja stuff."

"I'm sure that you are," Sakura assured her, helping Kotaru out of her shackles, by

concentrating her chakira, into a key shape.

Kotaru stood up and rubbed her wrists.

"It's been almost 4 days since they let me out...," Kotaru admitted, "I'm really hungry and

have bad cuts all over my body, from being down here, too long."

"Well you're free now," Sakura smiled, grabbing hold of Kotaru's hand, "now we just need to find

a way out of here...do you remember where that hole was?"

"Hmmm...yeah," Kotaru thought for a second, "follow me!"

Kotaru, changed hand positions with Sakura and grabbed hold of her. She tugged her along,

and then ran through the dungeon, past millions of dead skeletons, and rotting flesh.

"What the hell kind of place is this?" Sakura asked, trying not to gag.

"This isn't the work of those three," Kotaru whispered, "this place used to be a place for

interrogating ninja's a long time ago."

"How cruel."

The two ran for a while, until they turned down a hallway, and stopped in front of a wall.

"It's a dead end?" Sakura wondered, thinking that Kotaru wasn't as sure as she thought,

originally.

"Nope...," Kotaru smiled, trying to remember at the same time, "if I recall...the hole should be

right...there!"

Kotaru, reached up a little, and pressed a block with her hand. It moved and grinded the

edges. Kotaru, giggled, and pushed harder. Finally, the block went all the way through, and fell

over to the other side. A loud, _Thud! _could be heard.

"Won't that alert them?" Sakura asked, scared that they had been caught.

"No," Kotaru shook her head, "this place is totally sound proof...they told me that. Said it would

be useless to scream or call for help!"

"Ok, then let's hurry!"

Kotaru went first, squeezing through the just-barely-widen-enough hole, then Sakura followed.

On the other side, Sakura could see a small stream of light, stretched along the ground.

"Is that outside?" Sakura asked, trying to see through the darkness.

"Yeah," Kotaru smiled, "I was able to move the stone enough the one time, and saw lots of

light pour in. I never made it to the other side, though. They caught me before I made it."

"Well, you made it this time!" Sakura cheered, grabbing Kotaru's hand, "let's get you home!"

Kotaru, looked into Sakura's eyes, and smiled.

"Yeah!"

The two girls, ran along the stone floor, and ran up a small flight of stairs. They could barely

see ahead of them, but they knew they were getting closer, since the light was getting larger,

and more intense. Soon, they could see a large, wooden door, sitting at the top of the

stairway.

"We're almost there, Kotaru!"

"Yeah..."

As they made it to the top of the stairs, they stopped before the door. Sakura, hesitated and

then tried the door. Locked.

"Stand back!" Sakura warned Kotaru, holding he hand across Kotaru's chest.

"What are you going to do?"

"We made it this far...," Sakura explained, "...I'm not about to give up, just because of a locked

door!"

"But they'll hear us," Kotaru tried to warn Sakura.

Sakura, didn't seem to hear. She got ready to unleash another Jutsu. She did a few hand sings

and then let it go.

"Ninja Art, Flower Bomb Jutsu!"

She held out her hands like a sideways cup, and some Chakra formed in the palms of her hands.

Then, when it was about the size of a tennis ball, she let it fly. It hit the door, and crashed

right through. It didn't knock the door down, it just caused a large hole, in the middle of the

frame. Millions of tiny wood splinters, flew all over, and then hit the ground. After that act,

Sakura, punched the door and knocked it flat. They both smiled, as they grabbed hands, and

ran out. They saw a bunch of trees off to the left, and off to the right, the entrance to the

castle.

"We have to hurry," Kotaru urged, looking around, "I'm sure that that got their attention."

"You'd be right about that...my little runaway," came a voice, above them.

They both looked up and saw a dark figure standing on the top of the roof, above their door. He

jumped down, far in front of them and hit the ground. He looked up and they noticed that he

wore a mask on the left side of his face. He smiled at them, as they looked on in terror.

"Damn it...Sugoi!" Kotaru growled.

"Tsk-tsk...little Kotaru...," Sugoi scolded, "what did I say the last time you tried a stunt, like

this?"

Kotaru just looked at him with an angry, beast-like face.

"You don't remember?" Sugoi asked, sporting a fake, offended look, "...I told you, that if you

tried that again, I'd cut open your body and rip out your stomach!"

"...!!...," Sakura squeaked.

"You bastard!" Kotaru barked, "I'll kill you this time, if you try and stop me!"

"Kotaru?" Sakura gasped, looking at her face.

"Oh...and I see you brought along our new guest," Sugoi grinned, "excellent! You and her can

die in the same corpse heap!"

"Like hell...augh...he...augh," Kotaru growled, as she began to change.

"Kotaru?!" Sakura gasped, as Kotaru began to change into a beast monster.

"I see that you want to fight," Sugoi smirked, "fine...we'll do it your way."

Sugoi reached behind his back and pulled out a sword. He brought in front of his body, and

crouched, ready for battle.

Once Kotaru was fully changed, she resembled a lion. A large, golden mane, replaced her hair,

and her hands were now, claws, with golden hair, on the top. He face, still showed her human

side, only the classic, lion's nose, replaced her own. On top of all that, she had grown about 3

times her size.

"Kotaru?" Sakura asked again, "what happened to you?"

"Sorry, Sakura...," Kotaru smiled at her, with her big, toothy mouth, "I didn't way anything,

cause I didn't think you'd understand, and I also didn't think I would need to do this!"

"But what happened?" Sakura asked again, still with no answer.

"Allow me to explain," Sugoi interrupted, "you see, Kotaru here, is part of a small group of

secluded ninja, which have been hidden away, for almost 20 years. They have the ability

to harness the chakra energy of animals, and use it for themselves. Although, taking part of the

animals energy, doesn't kill it, it does make them considerably weak. The group of ninja's, who

call themselves, the "Yenkazi", are a growing pest problem, which I would like to exterminate. But

our master, would like to postpone their demise, until after he finds a way to harness this power

for himself. We were lucky to get her, but she doesn't seem to want to sing."

"Kotaru...is a animal ninja?" Sakura wondered out loud.

"I guess you can say that," Sugoi chuckled, "they are very powerful, once they figure out how

to harness the full power of the animal, but they don't stand a chance against superior ninja,

such as myself!

"You Bastard, Sugoi...," Kotaru growled, "get ready! You're about to die, for killing my parents!!

Roarr!!!"

**A/N: I like this chapter, cause I included(almost at the last moment), to turn Kotaru, **

**into an animal ninja. It may seem weird, but I think it adds a nice twist to things. Tell me **

**what you think.**


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